


as old as time

by la_victorienne



Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-07-28
Updated: 2008-07-28
Packaged: 2018-10-16 00:45:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10560526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/la_victorienne/pseuds/la_victorienne
Summary: jack likes to tell stories.





	

“So then, I’m standing there naked, the only potential weapon the hairpin I’ve got in my mouth, trying to figure out some way to get myself out of this, and I know John’s standing around somewhere pretending he’s not supposed to help me out, and the fire starts, and I’m going – ”

“Flames, flames, flames, on the side of my face,” Ianto says dryly, eliciting a surprised chuckle. “I’ve heard this one. Twice.” He hands Jack a mug and leans down for a kiss, prim and sweet, office-appropriate, and Jack smiles into it, still wired by the close of their latest case.

“Yes, but did I ever tell you the one about the Graske who wouldn’t stop pulling my trousers down in public? Sneaky little buggers, those, and you’d never believe the antics they can get up to, for such a small species. Needless to say, several people fainted upon sight of what was under my – ”

“Nope, heard that one too.” Jack sighs and looked down into his cup, twisting his mouth. Ianto smiles indulgently. “Really, Jack, it’s all right. You don’t have to impress me with adventure stories, or your scores of exploits. None of it changes how I feel about you. You keep forgetting that I know who you are.” He runs his fingers through Jack’s hair and sits down on the sofa, so close their knees touch. Jack sets his coffee cup down, leaning into the hand still warming his face. “I know you,” Ianto whispers, his eyes impossibly soft, running over Jack’s face as if he’s memorizing the shape. “I know your life. I know the parts you want to hide, the things you wish you’ve not done. And I’m here. I’m staying here, and I’m never leaving.” They kiss again, slower and darker, Ianto’s thumb brushing over his cheek, drawing him in.

They kiss until it leaves them breathless, for once not a step towards nudity but just a brief and brilliant moment of connection. Ianto is terrifying when he does this, when he reads the soul Jack’s tried so carefully to hide. It’s as if all the things he himself has forgotten, Ianto knows, and loves him in spite of it.

Maybe it’s the love that scares him so much. Jack’s spent a lot of time with different lovers, had done even before invincibility settled in, and never has he met someone who loves as purely as Ianto, who loves as completely, whether the love is deserved or not. And Jack knows he doesn’t deserve it.

He flattens his palms against Ianto’s shirt, feels the warmth of Ianto’s body, and fists his fingers in the fabric, drawing Ianto closer. There’s a moan, a gasp, bodies moving until they’re lying more comfortably, tangled in each other on Ianto’s underused sofa.

“I don’t want to hide,” he whispers, and bites at an earlobe.

“You can’t hide from me,” Ianto whispers back, and licks a stripe from Jack’s collarbone to his chin. “You could never hide from me.” 


End file.
